You may have to Search all our reviewed books and magazines, click the sign up button below to create a free account.
Destroyed yet paradoxically preserved by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in A.D. 79, Pompeii and other nearby sites are usually considered places where we can most directly experience the daily lives of ancient Romans. Rather than present these sites as windows to the past, however, the authors of The Last Days of Pompeii: Decadence, Apocalypse, Resurrection explore Pompeii as a modern obsession, in which the Vesuvian sites function as mirrors of the present. Through cultural appropriation and projection, outstanding visual and literary artists of the last three centuries have made the ancient catastrophe their own, expressing contemporary concerns in diverse media--from paintings, prints, an...
'Antiquity Recovered' presents 13 diverse essays that trace how perceptions of the past have changed over the course of three centuries of excavations. They range in subject from a reassessment of the contents of the library at Herculaneum's Villa of the Papyri, to the symbolic appearance of the ancient world in classic films.
Throughout Western history, the societies that have made the greatest contributions to the spread of freedom have created iconic works of art to celebrate their achievements. Yet despite the enduring appeal of these works—from the Parthenon to Michelangelo’s David to Picasso’s Guernica—histories of both art and democracy have ignored this phenomenon. Millions have admired the artworks covered in this book but relatively few know why they were commissioned, what was happening in the culture that produced them, or what they were meant to achieve. Even scholars who have studied them for decades often miss the big picture by viewing them in isolation from a larger story of human striving...
A collection of essays exploring the different ways in which the ruined city of Pompeii has been a major source of inspiration to Western imaginations. Creative and popular, as well as scholarly approaches are covered, including an interview with the novelist Robert Harris, and the volume is fully illustrated, with several images in full colour.
Aryeh Lightstone, former Senior Advisor to the U.S. Ambassador to Israel and Special Envoy for the Abraham Accords, is uniquely poised to unravel the past, present, and, most importantly, the future of U.S. foreign policy with the Middle East. "A powerful affirmation of humanity’s capacity to achieve the extraordinary." —Jared Kushner, Senior Advisor to the President, 2017-2021 "Aryeh demonstrates that faithful adherence to one’s core beliefs—in both his faith and his nation—are not only possible but necessary. Read and enjoy." —Mike Pompeo, U.S. Secretary of State, 2018-2021 The Trump Administration's "Peace to Prosperity" vision for the Middle East was unveiled on January 28, 2...
A Companion to the Flavian Age of Imperial Rome provides a systematic and comprehensive examination of the political, economic, social, and cultural nuances of the Flavian Age (69–96 CE). Includes contributions from over two dozen Classical Studies scholars organized into six thematic sections Illustrates how economic, social, and cultural forces interacted to create a variety of social worlds within a composite Roman empire Concludes with a series of appendices that provide detailed chronological and demographic information and an extensive glossary of terms Examines the Flavian Age more broadly and inclusively than ever before incorporating coverage of often neglected groups, such as women and non-Romans within the Empire
Mary Beard is one of the world's best-known classicists - a brilliant academic, with a rare gift for communicating with a wide audience both though her TV presenting and her books. In a series of sparkling essays, she explores our rich classical heritage - from Greek drama to Roman jokes, introducing some larger-than-life characters of classical history, such as Alexander the Great, Nero and Boudicca. She invites you into the places where Greeks and Romans lived and died, from the palace at Knossos to Cleopatra's Alexandria - and reveals the often hidden world of slaves. She takes a fresh look at both scholarly controversies and popular interpretations of the ancient world, from The Golden Bough to Asterix. The fruit of over thirty years in the world of classical scholarship, Confronting the Classics captures the world of antiquity and its modern significance with wit, verve and scholarly expertise.
An internationally recognized historian presents a revealing tour of the ancient world, shedding new light on Greek and Roman history.
Portraits of Anna Amalia, Duchess of Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach chart a shift in perceptions of her public identity and of the gender dynamics that shaped that identity. This manuscript is more than just a patronage study or a biography; it is concerned with how a powerful woman used art to shape her identity, how that identity changed over time, and how people around her shaped it, too. This study sheds real light on the power of portraiture in eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century Europe.